Roe v. Wade REVERSED - What it means for California
06/25/2022
It really isn't as bleek for unborn lives in California, but it should be much, much better.
California's Reproductive Privacy Act
Statutory Right to Choose:California's Reproductive Privacy Act prohibits the State of California from denying or interfering with a woman's right to choose or obtain an abortion prior to fetal viability¹, or after fetal viability to protect the life or health of the woman.
¹Typically, a fetus becomes viable around the 23rd week of the pregnancy (nearly 6 months). Doctors also consider a fetus to be viable once it weighs at least 500 grams.
GUTTMACHER (statistics)
In 2017, 132,680 abortions were provided in California, though not all abortions that occurred in California were provided to state residents: Some patients may have traveled from other states, and some California residents may have traveled to another state for an abortion. There was a a 16% decline in the abortion rate in California between 2014 and 2017, from 19.5 to 16.4 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Abortions in California represent 15.4% of all abortions in the United States.
There were 419 facilities providing abortion in California in 2017, and 161 of those were clinics. These numbers represent a 6% increase in clinics from 2014, when there were 512 abortion-providing facilities overall, of which 152 were clinics.
In 2017, some 40% of California counties had no clinics that provided abortions, and 3% of California women lived in those counties.
In California, the following restrictions on abortion were in effect as of June 24, 2022:
An abortion may be performed at or after viability only if the patient's life or health is endangered.
Abortion in California
California law does place some limits on when a pregnant woman can terminate her pregnancy. Specifically, a woman can get an abortion up until her fetus becomes viable. And only qualified medical providers are allowed to perform legal abortions. If an abortion is performed outside the legal parameters, it can lead to criminal charges.
The right to abortion care is absolute in the state in 2 cases. These are when:
- the fetus is not yet viable, or
- the procedure is necessary to protect the life or health of the mother.
By definition, a fetus becomes viable if it is likely to sustain survival outside of the uterus. It has to be able to survive without extraordinary medical measures.
Doctors determine whether a given fetus is viable. They make this decision on a case-by-case basis.
Typically, a fetus becomes viable around the 23rd week of the pregnancy (nearly 6 months). Doctors also consider a fetus to be viable once it weighs at least 500 grams.
What can be done to reign in California's abortion laws
CALL, WRITE or VISIT your representatives - repeatedly.
Tell them EXACTLY what you want to change about the abortions laws in California.
Locate your representatives: